Captain Landon Hart and Captain Conal O'Brien are heading to a meeting that had been scheduled with Commodore Grey. It was actually an appointment made by Conal's Uncle Flynn who has since died. They find the information and decide to keep the meeting. While on the way, they see a man and a young boy engaged in a teaching session with swords. It's not a boy but a young woman, although the men don't know that. Captain Landon gives Keelan some tips with a dagger that she does not want. While leaving the area, Keelan makes sure the Captains know that she is a female. She is desperate to ask them not to reveal what she has been doing to her family. The price of secrecy is a kiss for Landon. Since so many of her family have been killed, she is most likely in danger. Captain Landon is very aware of Keelan and wants to get to know her. Keelan feels the same way but there is a marriage offer from a much older man and one from Garrison, a country doctor. No one makes her feel like Landon Hart. When Garrison and Keelan become betrothed, she realizes it is a mistake. Keelan's father is very sick and he wants to see her taken care of before he passes away.  Landon and Keelan decide to get married. Before that happens as her father lies dying,  he reveals a deathbed confession that will affect her complete life. The killer and the reasons why are a surprise for the last part of the book. It is a cliffhanger which I don't really care for. I really loved the story and was looking forward to finding out all the secrets of Keelan's life. I received this book from Net Galley and Flowers and Fullerton for a honest review and no compensation otherwise. The opinions expressed are my own.

I received a free ARC from Netgalley.

I unpleasantly found out that this is a series. It ends with a murder and life altering information for the the heroine.

The story is a struggle of a 19 year old woman constrained by her circumstances in her time period and also being part of a family that is targeted for vengeful murder. Three viewpoints are told-the heroine, the hero, and the villain.. The romance is fought so bitterly by the heroine that it wasn't enjoyable.

I won't be reading any more of this drama.

This was my 1st time reading a book by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I look forward to reading more by this author. I also thought Keelan had the kind of spunk I like to read about

Publisher's Description:

This is a new edition, completely re-written for much richer in characterization, conflict and tension.

An independent young lady meets a bold merchant captain pursued by a band of pirates...what could possibly go wrong?

Fiercely independent and equally impetuous Keelan Grey acts the dutiful daughter on the outside, but inside, she’s determined to avoid marriage even if it means taking the most desperate measures. Everything changes when a deathbed confession from a loved one plunges her into a dark plot of deception and revenge, and an assassin targets members of her family. Desperate for help, Keelan finds an unlikely ally in the antagonistic, but irresistible sea captain, Landon Hart.

Rakishly handsome and equally exasperating Landon Hart is a Freedom Runner-part of a network of people moving runaways to a new life up North. He’s in Charleston to smuggle a recently escaped group aboard his ship, and uncover the purpose of a clandestine meeting between his late business partner and a British plantation owner. When he meets a sword-wielding, fiery-haired temptress on the way, he isn't prepared for the impact she has on his tightly guarded heart...nor the trouble she manages to attract.

My Thoughts:

Although badly edited I did mostly like this story. I had to struggle through unusual and unnecessary punctuation. Copyright symbols and other characters that were placed in places where they weren't needed. This problem I found out later had to do with formatting rather than editing.

I didn't like the ending. The story ended in a cliffhanger. Instead of a story of it's own you have to wait for the next book to find out what eventually happens to our hero and heroine.
Because of the formatting problem I gave this poignant story 3.75 of 5.0 stars for storyline and character development and a sensual rating of 2.5 of 5.0 flames.
The intimate scene between our hero and heroine is only a heavy petting one.
I hope the next book is soon ready so we will know our couple's fate.
I received an uncorrected digital ARC of this book to read for review from the author/publisher. This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

So much YES. Loved it, want the rest, now. Now, now. I couldn't put it down. I can empathize with the main character on so many levels. Her stress, her frustrations, and I'm anticipating the next steps for her. A fun book, a lovely couple. It could have used a little more description about some of the characters, and in a way there was almost too much about other side characters which were unnecessary.

I received the second edition ARC from the publisher through New Gallery.
Two sea captains come to shore after their fellow captain dies. Before he died he was writing letters and keeping contact with a man they go on a search for... it doesn’t make a lot of sense why. He is also in need of repairs after a pirate attack.
One of the captains (Landon) is a rakish playa who insta-lusts after Keelan. She is fighting her dying father’s wishes on who to marry. Landon and her become romantically involved, I didn’t realize this was a bodice ripping off type of book, and therefore cheesy and NOT CLEAN. She can’t decide who to trust. He can’t decide if Keelan means more to him than his other conquest at different ports.
It’s pretty obvious early on who the villain is and what he’s doing. The author added too many hints and expects you to be surprised by the “twist” at the end. There is a mystery and an alluding to a kidnapping that you are left hanging on at the end for the next book.
This book could have had promise, but so many parts made me roll my eyes or skip through. I also had to remind myself multiple times that it’s set in the Carolinas in the early 1800’s.